Danger, darkness and treachery abound as the lines between good, evil and heroics are sometimes blurred. So, basically urban fantasy heroes doing what they usually do, which is work in the grey area. — This collection is a good way to get your pulse pounding!

Kate Daniels prequel story: Kate Daniels, a member of the Atlanta Mercenary Guild is offered a bodyguard job to Saiman when two of her peers back out. The back story on how Kate met unique supporting character Saiman explaining why he creeps Kate out.
2. "Even Hand" by Jim Butcher — The Dresden Files #11.2 (Marcone POV)

Set in Chiccago—John Marcone, a powerful Chicago crime-boss agrees to protect a woman and child against a supernatural pursuer.

3. "The Beacon" by Shannon K. Butcher

A story about a weary hunter named Ryder Ward who kills Beacons–people who (through no fault of their own) attract monsters called Terraphages into our world from another dimension. The latest Beacon is a young girl with a single mother and Ryder feels wretched about his choices.

A true knight story. — About Lisel, a centuries-old woman warrior who has managed to survive and become the last living Dragonslayer, and she’s just been informed that her successor has been chosen (by the pope, as these things are). A young girl knocks on her door the next day. The grumpy old-school Dragonslayer (“Get your ass inside”) viewing the new guard with exasperation (“glowing with youth and vitality and health and a smart-ass attitude”) but having to train her anyway.

Set in Chiccago—Jack Flemingwas a vampire, owns a nightclub, and on occasion helps out people. This is a very noir-style story with a damsel in distress, a mob boss, missing money, and thugs galore, set in 1930′s Chicago.

6. "Beknighted" by Deidre Knight

A true knight story. — It's all about a knight who sold his soul for Templar-grade gold, a villain, and an artist. — An artist named Anna gains a patron in order to pay for “living gold” which she needs to unlock a man from another world through her artwork, but there’s something that makes Anna question her patron’s motives for backing the project.

Skamar is a woman made flesh by the focus of her creator, and her job is to protect a certain teen girl. This means investigating the abductions of girls around her age, working with a human, and dealing with human emotions. Gritty and violent and a little bit heart rending. — Skamar is getting used to having a body and being hunted by a Tulpa. She is also fighting an attraction for a flirty neighbor. Young girls have been kidnapped and Skamar and the neighbor, who turns out to be a cop, team up to investigate their disappearance.

A suburban wife comes to Rookwood, asking him to kill her husband, who is already dead. This is another short story of the pulpy vampire detective variety, except a more modern-day version and a damsel in distress who is a lot faster on the uptake than she might be given credit for. — Rookwood goes after the vampires who attempted to turn him and enlists Mrs. King's help. Mrs. King was betrayed by her own husband, who is now a vampire.

Cormac is called to deal with a killer that has gutted some cattle. It is clearly a werewolf losing the battle against bloodlust, and it won’t be long before it moves to human prey. Cormac is a secondary character and on a side trip so you don’t need to have knowledge of the series. — Cormac is called by a farmer whose cattle is being slaughtered by an unknown predator. He proceeds to follow the trail of what he knows is a werewolf to the town's Catholic church. ~ Excerpt

It was a dark and stormy knight, and nine dark defenders embarked upon a most perilous quest….

They’re the ultimate defenders of humanity—modern day knights who do dark deeds for all the right reasons. In this all-star collection, nine of today’s hottest paranormal authors bring us thrilling, all-new stories of supernatural knights that are brimming with magic mystery and mayhem.

John Marcone sets aside his plans to kill Harry Dresden to go head-to-head with a cantrev lord in Jim Butcher’s Even Hand. Kate Daniels is called upon for bodyguard duty to protect Saimen, a shifter she trusts less than the enemy in Ilona Andrews’ A Questionable Client. Cormac must stop a killer werewolf before it attacks again on the next full moon in Carrie Vaughn’s God’s Creatures. And in Vicki Pettersson’s Shifting Star, Skamar gets more than she bargained for when she goes after a creature kidnapping young girls—and enlists the aid of her frustratingly sexy neighbor.